Across the Night
by theparthenon
Summary: Diana never had a reason to be afraid of much. At least, not until he moved in. Jerry/OC-ish.
1. Prologue

"_Character is what a man is in the dark.__"  
><em>_- __Dwight L. Moody_

I'd never been afraid of the dark before. Even when I was little, I never needed a night-light and rarely did I have bad dreams. I couldn't say the same these days. Not since _he_ stepped into our lives and exposed us to a world that none of us could have ever believed existed.

Even though everything has gone back to normal what happened in this sleepy little suburb of Las Vegas and the dozen other places with countless victims won't soon be forgotten to those who experienced it. We go on with our lives and pretend everything is normal. We pretend that we're happy and we can joke, talk, smile and laugh like everything is okay. But more often than not I wake up in a cold sweat, remembering in my dreams what I can put away during the day.

The dark always seems to draw out people's worst fears and it's in the dark where this story begins.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fright Night or most of the characters involved in this story. I know this is ridiculously short, but Chapter One should be up sometime tomorrow night. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter One: Everlasting Light

"_Let me be your everlasting light  
><em>_The sun when there is none  
><em>_I'm a Shepard for you  
><em>_And I'll guide you through  
><em>_Let me be your everlasting light  
><em>

_Let me be your everlasting light  
><em>_I'll hold and never scold  
><em>_In me you can confide  
><em>_When no one's by your side  
><em>_Let me be your everlasting light"_

The sky was fading to a dark gray when I rounded the corner of the neighborhood and slowed my pace from a steady jog to a walk.

"Diana!" a female voice called loudly from across the street. I pulled my earbuds out, cutting off the Black Keys completely. I turned around and waved ecstatically then jogged over to her.

"Hey, Mrs. B!"

"Hey, kiddo, how was your run?" Jane Brewster asked. She moved like she was going to hug me, took in my sweaty appearance and thought better of it. "Wanna help me bring these bags in?"

"Sure!" I grabbed two of the brown paper bags out of the back of her van and carried them into the house. "It was good. I'm so glad it's starting to cool down a little."

She shook her head. "I don't know how you do it."

I shrugged. "A lot of water." She laughed.

"So, what's up? Where's your Dad off to this week?"

"Oh, uh," I blew my bangs out of my face, slightly embarrassed at this. "I think Chicago this week? I don't know, I don't even keep track anymore."

She laughed again and I was instantly comforted by this familiar routine.

For as long as I could remember, the Brewster family had always lived across the street from my family. Jane had been a source of comfort for my mom while my dad was out of town for business, which was most of the time. It was only natural that her son, Charley, and I would end up being friends.

Our families had been through hell and back together. When Mom passed away, three years ago, Jane had been there to help Dad and I pick up the pieces. She even watched over me on his business ventures. On the flip side, when Mr. Brewster had up and left, Dad had done everything he could to make sure that Jane and Charley were going to be okay.

When we were little, I used to tell people that Charley was my brother and for the longest time, that was how I saw him. However, with puberty came some strange hormonal changes and I stopped telling people that Charley and I were related. High school had also caused our relationship to change. I was a social butterfly and was easily inducted into the "popular" clique whereas Charley was casted out with the "nerds". So I pretty much ignored him for the last three years unless we were at home and away from the public eye. But this summer had brought changes for Charley and now he was dating my friend Amy, enjoying his newfound status as a stud.

"Did you eat? I've got leftovers in the fridge." Jane said, setting the bags down on the counter. I followed suite.

"Oh, no, I went out to eat with some of the girls from the track team earlier."

"Hey, Di," Charley greeted. He wrapped his arms around his Mom and plucked a bottle of juice out of the bags.

"Hi Charley."

"You know, I actually convinced Charley to stay home and watch a movie with me tonight. You're more than welcome to come over, Diana."

"Sure!" I said. "Just let me go home and rinse off first." I pretended to sniff the sleeve of my shirt and made a disgusted face. Charley laughed. "I don't want to stink up the couch."

"Is Amy coming over too?" Jane asked her son offhandedly.

Charley's eyes met mine and for a moment we lapsed into an awkward silence. Jane didn't seem to notice as she continued to put groceries away.

"No, not tonight, Mom."

"Yeah," I said, eager to further break the tension. "She was telling everyone at practice that her parents pretty much threatened her into spending time with them tonight."

We made small talk for a few more minutes before I raced back over to my house underneath the now completely dark night sky. I flipped on the hall and the porch light as soon as I was inside. There to greet me was Royal, the Eurasier I had guilt-tripped my Dad into buying as a guard dog. He was a complete failure in that respect, but he was good company. I went through the usual routine of feeding him and making sure the house was in order before I went upstairs.

After a quick shower, I threw on a pair of denim shorts and plain, gray t-shirt. I stood in front of the mirror brushing my hair and studying my reflection. I looked a lot like my Mom with the same long, wavy, chocolate brown hair with big eyes set in a heart-shaped face. I had my Dad's blue-green eyes, though, which popped nicely against my dark features. My tan coloring and skinny build, though, I attributed to track.

A loud knock on the door startled me out of my narcissism and as I skipped down the stairs to answer it, I could feel my cheeks turning red. Royal was parked in front of the door, barking loudly. That was weird; normally he acted like he couldn't be bothered with company of any kind. When I reached for the handle, he actually growled.

"Move it, weirdo," I said, pushing him away from the door with my foot. He whimpered as the door opened and retreated into the living room.

"Excuse me?" a cold, male voice inquired. I looked up at the figure and almost had to put my hand on my chin to stop my jaw from dropping. Apparently Gods did still walk amongst mortals.

"Sorry, I was talking to the dog."

I couldn't think of anything else to say. My mouth didn't seem to want to form words.

"Right," he said slowly. "I'm Jerry. Jerry Dandridge. I just moved in across the street." He pointed across the street to what had previously been the Perryman place. I hadn't noticed the large SOLD sticker across the For Sale sign.

Jerry Dandridge was a head taller than me with intense, dark eyes that sat under his thick, dark hair. The plain white shirt he was wearing contrasted nicely with his pale skin and clung _very_ nicely to the muscles that clearly resided underneath.

"Diana Avery," I replied, shaking his proffered hand. I quickly pulled it back, feeling a surge of electricity shoot through my body as our skin made contact. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thanks." Our eyes met. I wondered why I wasn't melting into the floor already. "Do you think I could borrow a cup of flour?"

"What?" I blinked, refocusing my attention. "Yeah, sure. Come on in." I smiled brightly. He returned with a crooked half smile as he stepped into the foyer.

I could feel his gaze on me as I walked into the kitchen. I pulled a plastic Tupperware container out from one of the cabinets and filled it with flour.

"Nice place." Jerry commented. "Do you live here by yourself?"

I laughed. "No, I live here with my Dad, but he's – he works pretty late." Although I thought he was insanely attractive, I wasn't stupid enough to tell a complete stranger my Dad was gone for weeks at a time for work.

I held out the plastic bowl. He took it and for the second time our skin touched. This time I noticed how cold his hands were. My grip faltered and the bowl began tumbling to the ground. Jerry caught it before it hit the floor.

"Good reflexes," I said feeling my cheeks heat up as our eyes met a second time.

"Thanks."

"Uhm…" I blinked and it was like sanity flooded back into my brain. "I've actually got to get going."

"I'll show myself out." He held up the container. "Thanks for the flour."

I nodded mutely, watching him walk out the door.

"It was nice meeting you!" I called out awkwardly at the last minute. I mentally kicked myself for being such an idiot. He turned around in the doorway.

"Likewise." He flashed me a dangerous grin. Suddenly, I was glad he was leaving. Handsome or not, there was something… slightly off about him.

As I locked the door and headed over to the Brewster's house, Jerry Dandridge and his scary smile were already on their way out of my thoughts.

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Fright Night or any of the characters you recognize. Special thanks to TheImmortalChaplain, TheInvincibleNerd, HannahBabies, marie190, Wild Cat 94, Nymphy, VampireSiren, MelanieTheGreat and TwiCloiser89 for the reviews and for everyone else who's been reading! You are all very much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter Two: Lightning

"_I saw lightning, coming from the street  
><em>_You reached out and it didn't startle me."_

"Shit," I yawned as I groped around my nightstand for my cell phone. "Hello?" I mumbled into the receiver.

"Hey, sweetie, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"Hey, Dad." I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and had to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, but I need to get up anyway. It's-" I glanced at the alarm clock. "Yikes."

"In that case, get your lazy butt out of bed," he chuckled. I smiled.

"It's Saturday, I can afford it." I stretched out, relishing how rested I felt. "How's Chicago?"

"It's good. You'd like the rain, kiddo. So, I just wanted to call and tell you that a bunch of our board meetings got screwed up and moved around."

"Uh-huh."

"So, I'll probably have to extend the trip through this week too."

I bit my lip, thinking about what that meant. I had expected to see my Dad bright and early on Monday morning, but another week to myself?

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Don't sound so heartbroken," he teased. It had taken a long time for me to build up my Dad's trust enough for him to feel comfortable enough to leave me by myself. "I'll give Jane a call and let her know what's going on."

"Okay, pops, sounds like a plan. Bring me back a jacket from Chicago."

"Will do. I love you, kiddo, behave yourself, okay?"

"I will, Dad. I love you too. Stay safe."

I hung up the phone and threw my comforter over my head. I closed my eyes, preparing to go back to sleep when the phone rang a second time.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" a cheerful, female voice greeted. "What's up? I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, no," I reassured my best friend, Cara Simmons. "I was already up." I threw my comforter off completely and trudged downstairs to make myself some coffee.

"Good because I just got off the phone with Amy and guess whose parents are out of town tonight?"

"No idea."

"That was the worst guess ever. Mark's parents are on their anniversary vacation this weekend, so he's totally throwing a party tonight. His older brother is buying alcohol and everything."

"Oh?" My interest was piqued, but I was wary. Usually when Cara and I went to parties together, I ended up babysitting her.

"Please come with me. Please, please, pleaaaase? I'll pick you up and everything."

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll go."

"Awesome!" I could imagine her on the other end of the phone dancing excitedly. I shook my head and patted Royal on the head when he finally decided to grace me with his presence. "What are you going to wear?"

"I barely started coffee and you want me to think about my outfit?"

"It's not my fault you waited until noon to wake up."

"Why don't you just come over early and you can help me pick out what I'm going to wear?"

"Ooh, sounds good! Ugh, I'd better get going. My mom threatened to make me stay home if I didn't help her with the garden."

I found things to occupy me during the rest of the day to keep busy. I picked up the house, did some homework, called Amy to see what she was wearing and was assured that if Cara did get drunk, Charley could give me a ride home. Then I set to work on doing my hair and throwing on some makeup. When Cara finally did arrive, it took her an hour to pick out the perfect outfit (a vintage, blue sundress that was lurking in the back of my closet).

By the time we got to Mark's house, the party was in full swing. Music was thumping loudly through speakers. I was amazed that Mark's house could fit so many people.

"Hey, ladies, looking good." Mark greeted, leading us to the kitchen where there was a large group of people gathered around a tub full of ice and a variety of beers.

"Ooh! I'll be right back!" Cara said as she took off in the direction of the vodka.

I picked a can at random and took a long drink out of it. I grimaced. It was gross and I almost spit it all over Charley when he took it out of my hand, but I forced myself to swallow it.

"Here, try this one."

"Thanks," I said. We swapped and I took a small, tentative sip. "Approved!" I grinned.

"You look nice."

"Thanks."

We stood in comfortable silence for a few minutes before I realized that he had complimented me. I was glad for the "mood lighting" because it hid my red cheeks.

"You haven't seen Amy, have you?" Charley asked. And just like that, the excitement was over.

"She's probably being peer pressured into taking shots with Cara and Ben as we speak." Charley's face looked strained. I shook my head. "Cheers, Brewster." I clinked my glass against his can. "Relax, it's not that bad."

I felt an elbow rest on my shoulder. "What's up, Brewster? Di?"

"Hi Ben, have you seen Amy?"

"Ah, did you lose her?" Ben grinned, shaking his shaggy hair out of his face. Charley's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about how cute he looked. I took a long drink to drive the thought away. "She's over there," he pointed to a group of track girls. Charley immediately took off in that direction.

"He's growing up so fast." I pretended to wipe a tear from my eye. Ben leaned his head on top of mine.

"We're such good parents," he agreed. "Let's go take a victory shot."

I looped my arm around his elbow. "Don't mind if we do!"

Two hours, three shots, one beer and one very potent mixed drink later and I was drunk. Through very little convincing and false promises of Taco Bell, Charley had managed to lure Amy and I into Amy's car so he could drive us home. Cara had passed out in Mark's parents' room and Mark's brother, who had stayed sober to supervise, assured us (mostly Charley) that she would be okay there until morning.

_ "Don't trust a ho, never trust a ho, won't trust a ho 'CAUSE A HO WON'T TRUST ME!"_ Amy and I shouted from the back seat. We burst into giggles.

"Never again," Charley muttered from the front seat as he pulled into my driveway. "Are you going to be okay getting inside the house, Di?"

I nodded and proudly held up my house key.

"Diana! I love you!" Amy exclaimed. We threw our arms around each other clumsily and stayed like that for several minutes. Charley sighed impatiently and we giggled again.

"I love you too, sunshine! Thank you for the ride home, oh gallant knight. Even though we did _NOT_ get tacos." I pouted as I said this last part. Unsteadily, I climbed out of the car.

"Ooh, Charley, can we please get tacos on the way home?" I heard Amy plead as they drove away.

I started walking to the door, leaning against the truck for support. I was almost at the end of the truck bed before I dropped my keys on the ground.

"Whoops," I mumbled. I leaned over to pick them up and saw two pairs of feet sticking out from under the truck. I shrieked and fell over, sitting down hard on the concrete.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked, searching wildly around my purse for my can of pepper spray as two bodies emerged from the shadows. I held up the can.

"It's just Adam and Ed," a squeaky voice said.

"Who?"

"Adam Johnson and Ed Lee."

The figures stepped into the porch light and I recognized them. I let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Why-" I paused. The world had suddenly started spinning. "Why are you guys at my house?" I looked at their guilty faces. "With a video camera?"

"We're- Are you drunk?" Adam asked.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest, dropping the can on the ground in the process. "That is… none… of your business. Hmph. And it certainly doesn't… explain why you're camped out… under my truck with a video camera."

"We were filming a documentary," Ed said. "On suburban life."

"At night?"

"Yeah, uhm, it's for our film class." Adam said. "Do you need help up?"

"Oh no," I said, pressing my hand on the driveway and slowly pushing myself up. "I got this. But you guys have to leave okay? Because this is seriously kind of weird and I'm going to bed and I really don't want you outside of my house while I'm sleeping with a video camera."

"Consider us gone," Adam reassured me. They both took off down the street.

I shook my head and quickly realized that was a bad idea. In fact, the whole night had been a bad idea. The more I had watched Amy and Charley, the more I had decided to drink. Cara had tried to talk me out of my funk until she was no longer sober and then she wanted me on her level.

I was almost at the door when I tripped again. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. Obviously this was not going to be easy. I think I dozed off because when I felt a rough, but strong pair of hands pull me up and take me into the house.

When I woke up the next morning, I was on the couch with a blanket and beside me was a glass of water and two ibuprofen and I had absolutely no memory of who my savior was.

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Fright Night or any of the characters associated with it. Sorry this chapter took so long between the first chapter and this one. Also, for the total lack of Jerry (obviously this is not my favorite chapter thus it was hard to write). I promise there will be more Jerry in the next chapter (which I have mostly written and should be up soon).  
><strong>**Thank you all for the reviews and for all the story favorites. Special shout outs to DestinyIntertwined, TwiCloiser89, TheImmortalChaplin, Morgan97, MelanieTheGreat, TheInvincibleKay, HannahBabies, Nymphy, Wild Cat 94, Evenlight, Batgirl3952 and Dissolved Starr. You guys are the bomb and I love all of you! Thanks for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter Three: You Are but Mortal, Woman

"_Arthur placed the point over the heart, and as I looked I could see its dint in the white flesh. Then he struck with all his might-_ Diana, am I boring you?"

My eyes snapped open at this reprimand from Miss Grenada. For the third time today, I had drifted off in class.

"I'm sorry, Miss G," I mumbled, feeling heat rush to my face as the class burst into giggles. I straightened up in my chair.

"Now," she said, setting the book down. "Bram Stoker wrote Dracula as a reflection of the Victorian era, especially on the way men thought about women's behavior. So, why was it important that Arthur was the one to drive the stake through Lucy's heart?"

As if on cue to rescue us from a long discussion on Victorian purity, the bell rang.

"Remember," she called out. "Your partner presentations are next week with the summary analysis of your scene."

"Shit," I whispered and looked around the room wildly for my partner. Miss Grenada liked to assign us random partners for the crazy English projects she thought up. She had assigned us "drama" projects for Dracula where we had to re-enact a scene from the book and I had completely forgotten about it until now.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way or anything but you look tired and you've been falling asleep in class all week. Are you okay?" Cara asked as we walked out of class together.

"Yeah, I just… haven't been getting much sleep lately."

More like not sleeping at all. All week I'd been having terrible nightmares- well, nightmare. It always started the same: I was in front of my house, in the middle of the night. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest because someone was watching me. Then the chase started. I never saw who or what it was, but I knew I had to keep running because whatever it was, was going to kill me. And if I wasn't having nightmares, I was having weird dreams about Jerry; weird, romantic and sometimes scary dreams that I shouldn't be having about the guy across the street.

"Did you still want to go to the movies tonight?"

"Oh, crap, Cara!" I exclaimed, smacking my forehead with the palm of my hand. "I totally forgot about the movie and about the stupid Dracula project, which I have to talk to Adam about and I don't even think I've seen him today. I think he's been avoiding me."

She smiled and leaned against the locker next to mine while I rummaged around for the book I needed for my next class. "It's okay. We can go on Friday, if you want."

"Yes, please, you are an angel."

"Speaking of angels," she sighed dramatically. "There's Mark."

I followed her gaze to where Mark and Ben were standing watching something obviously of interest, making gagging sounds as I did so. Cara slapped my arm, rolling her eyes at me.

"Mark is _not_ an angel. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's the spawn of Satan himself." I blamed him entirely for my hangover.

"He's not that bad! So," her voice dropped to a whisper. "Did you ever figure out who helped you back in your house?"

"No. It's not like I'm going to go around and ask people 'hey, did you put me to sleep on Saturday? I'd like to know so I can thank you'. That's weird."

She laughed. "It was probably Charley or Ed or Adam. You said they were there, right?"

I had a sneaking suspicion it was none of them. They just weren't physically strong enough to carry me that far- at least not by themselves. But I didn't want to tell Cara that because I didn't want her to freak out about it.

"Yeah, they were. God, that was so awkward. Oh, hey, there's Ed. I wonder if he's seen Adam."

"I'm going to leave you to manage that one on your own. I'll call you later, okay?"

I waved her off with a miserable expression on my face, took a deep breath and walked over to what appeared to be a war zone. Ed and Charley were in the middle of what I gathered was a very horrifying and intense conversation.

"I don't want to interrupt, but-" I tested tentatively.

"I was just leaving." Charley said. Ed gave him a dark look as he took off in the direction of Mark, Ben and Cara. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in and watched him for a minute before rounding on Ed.

"Have you seen Adam today?"

Ed seemed surprised by my question. "Actually, that's what I was just talking to Brewster about."

I raised my eyebrows. "Care to clarify?"

"He's been… absent all week. I haven't been able to get a hold of him either."

"Great." I ran a hand through my hair, wondering how on Earth this was going to affect my grade. "Well, if you do find him, please let him know that he needs to call me about the Dracula project-" His eyes widened at the mention of Dracula. "Or I'm going to pulverize him. And," I added. "I haven't forgotten about you two camping outside of my house this weekend. Even though I _still_ don't know what the hell _that_ was about."

"I told you, we were making a documentary." He was on the defensive now, even though I was really just teasing him. But Ed had been oddly uptight lately.

"Oh-kay, obviously that's a touchy subject. Well just tell him to call me if you see him, will you?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Thanks, Ed." I gave him a small smile right as the bell rang.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on. By the time I pulled into the driveway, I was practically asleep on my feet.

Royal jumped on me as I walked in the door.

"Down!" I said, pushing him away. He looked up at me with sad eyes. I patted him on the head apologetically. "Just let me take a nap."

I ripped open the rental DVD that had come in the mail and popped in Bram Stoker's Dracula to watch as I collapsed on the couch. Almost immediately I dozed off.

_I was in an unfamiliar place; tears were stinging my eyes as I beat against a chest with my fists.  
>"No! You murdered Cara!" I collapse into a rough, but steady pair of arms. "I love you. Oh God, forgive me, I do. I want to be what you are, see what you see, love what you love."<br>"Diana, to walk with me, you must die to your breathing life and be reborn to mine."  
>"You are my love and my life always."<br>I looked up into Jerry's hungry, lustful eyes.  
>"<em>_Then I give you life eternal, everlasting love, the power over the storm and the beasts of the earth. Walk with me to be my loving wife forever."  
>"I will," I whispered. Then, more desperately, "Yes, yes."<br>Baring his teeth, I saw fangs where canines should be. And then, without warning, those teeth sank into my neck-_

I sat upright on the couch. The sky outside was inky, making the living room dark. On the television, credits were rolling. I sighed and fell back on the couch, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

"I'm losing it," I mumbled.

I rummaged through my backpack and extracted a book from it. I pulled my hair out of my face, feeling groggy and sweaty. I grabbed a blanket from the edge of the couch, turned on the outside light and parked myself on one of the more comfy chairs on the porch. I immersed myself in the book, trying not to think too much.

"Hope I'm not bothering you." I jumped, causing the chair to shift violently underneath me. It was the voice from my dream.

"Oh, no, uh," I shook my head. I gave an embarrassed giggle. "Nope, just reading for English." I held up the book.

"Dracula," Jerry mused. "Enjoying it?"

"It's a little too gory for me, but I've never really been into the whole 'vampire' scene." I shrugged. "All the blood… makes me kinda queasy."

He nodded, but it seemed sarcastic almost. Like he was laughing at some kind of private joke I wasn't it on. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I just wanted to return your Tupperware." He held out the container. "And to check on you."

He now had my undivided attention. "Why would you want to check on me?"

Jerry's lips twitched into a smirk. "Not to tell you your business, but you clearly can't handle your alcohol."

I sat up straight as my heart plummeted into my stomach. I had no idea how to respond to this. "Oh- I- uh… thanks?" I looked at him uneasily. "You're not going to tell my Dad, are you?"

He burst into laughter; it was a deep, unfamiliar and almost scary sound. His dark eyes locked on mine. "No, I'm not. But you should be careful. You never know what kind of predators are lurking around at night. A pretty thing like you would be easy prey in that kind of state."

I wanted to be anywhere but having this conversation. My face felt like it was on fire and I couldn't help feeling that there was an underlying threat in his warning. "I'll keep that in mind." I stood up. "Thank you for bringing this back." I held up the container.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it. I'll see you around, Diana."

I watched him walk back across the street. I replayed the conversation in my head and as I walked back into the house, I wondered if I was going to get any sleep ever again.

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Fright Night or any of the recognizable characters. Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews as well as the story and author favorites! You guys are the best! Special thanks to VampireBeach17, TheInvincibleKay, Anon (I love my Anons), HannahBabies and shalmarrose. Updates should be coming more quickly now as I have a few of the next chapters already written!**


	5. Chapter Four: I'll Be Strong

"Okay, so, promise you won't be mad at me?" Cara asked, pulling into the parking lot of the movie theater.

"Depends." I raised a wary eyebrow in her direction. It was finally Friday and not only was I free of school, but I was looking forward to doing something that required little brain power and having a nice, long girl talk with Cara.

"Uhm… I kind of invited Ben and Mark."

I took a deep breath.

"Cara… really?" I asked, drawing out the really so it sounded half-joking, half-serious.

"Well, I was talking to Mark about the movie yesterday and he sounded really excited about it. The invite came out before I even thought about what I was saying! But he told me he'd bring Ben too so it wouldn't be so weird for you."

I silently stewed behind her as we walked to the ticket booth. Cara was my best friend, but lately it felt like she was so boy crazy that she'd put our friendship on the back burner. So much so, that lately I had been keeping things to myself- including my weird visit from Jerry.

Mark and Ben were waiting for us by the ticket counter. Mark, acting the part of gentleman for a change, paid for Cara's ticket. I faked a big smile and gave Cara a thumbs up when she turned around to grin at me, but rolled my eyes the second she looked away.

"I've got this," Ben said as I stepped up to pay for my ticket.

"No, you don't have to. Seriously, Ben, it's okay." I felt pathetic.

"I know I don't," he replied.

"Thanks." I smiled at him and he winked in return.

For the next two hours, Ben and I sat next to each other in the dark theater while Mark and Cara pretended we didn't exist. The movie was some stupid horror movie remake that Cara had been dying to see and, at the time we'd made plans, so had I. Sensing that not all was well in Diana-land, Ben turned the movie into a game.

"Okay, who do you think is going to die next?" he whispered. "The blonde, the boyfriend or the brunette?"

"Hm…" I pretended to study the screen intensely. "Blonde."

We watched in silence for a few minutes as the killer snuck up on the unsuspecting group and killed the blonde girl. I automatically held out my hand and Ben dropped two starbursts into it. We both giggled like idiots.

After the movie was over, we all walked to the parking lot together. That was when Cara pulled me to the side and decided to drop the final bomb.

"Hey, Di, so, Ben drove Mark here but he totally asked me if I wanted to go for ice cream before we went home. I wouldn't mind taking you back, but I think it might be a sort-of date and Ben offered to drive you home." Her face was both desperate and guilty.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"Okay."

She shrieked excitedly and threw her arms around me. It took every part of self-control I had to not push her off. I faked a smile when she pulled away.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed. "You're the best best friend ever!"

"You're welcome." I sighed. She just looked so happy.

Ben offered me a pity smile as we walked to his car. "If I had known that was going to happen-"

I held up my hand. "It's fine. Seriously, Ben, you don't have to apologize."

As we began the drive back into Suburbia, an awkward silence fell over the car. Ben began flipping through radio stations. When he didn't find anything, he changed to the CD player.

"_You show the lights that stop me turn to stone  
>you shine it when I'm alone<br>So I tell myself that I'll be strong  
>and dreaming when I'm gone"<em>

"Oh, shit," Ben said quickly. "Sorry, I, uh-"

"No!" I exclaimed. "I love this song."

We both sang along and by the time he pulled into my driveway, the horrible silence had completely vanished, replaced a conversation about our love for the same music.

Ben killed the engine, got out and came around to open my door.

"What a gentleman," I remarked, glancing at him. He smiled and I had to admit that when he did, he _was_ pretty cute. I blamed it on hormones and previous emotional devastation.

"Well, even though that was kind of a bust, I had fun." Ben said as I began the search for my keys. I stopped and looked up at him when I found them.

"I did too." I beamed at him. "Hey, Ben, thanks for paying for my ticket, for giving me a ride, for watching the movie with me –"

He cut me off by pressing his lips against mine.

My brain shut off, like it couldn't process what was happening. Every fiber of my body seemed to be on fire. Kissing Ben was nice. I didn't have to think about Cara, Charlie, Amy, Jerry, my Dad or school. None of it mattered.

A pale face with dark eyes flashed across my mind. I gasped and pulled away.

"Uhm," I giggled awkwardly. "Maybe we should, uh… save that for another time?"

"Shit, Di, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

I felt my body tense as soon as the words were out of his mouth. His face looked pained like he definitely had not meant for it to come out like that, but the damage was already done.

"No, I didn't mean it like that!"

"You should go." My voice sounded unfamiliar in my own ears; distant and cold.

"No, I just meant-"

"Ben, just go, please?" I pleaded, jabbing my key into the lock. This felt like a bad movie. I wasn't sure how the night could have taken such a horrible turn.

"Diana, come on!" Ben's voice was getting louder now. He tried to take the key, to help me, but I yanked it away from him.

"Stop it!" I shouted. "Just leave me alone, okay? You've done enough."

"Look, I know you're having a bad night. I didn't mean that I shouldn't have kissed you. I liked it, it was just bad timing. I get that!"

"You don't get anything!" I yelled back, finally managing to unlock the stupid door.

"Oh yeah? Like at the party when you were drooling over Charley all night?"

I stopped cold and gave him the nastiest look I could manage. His face fell.

"Shut the hell up."

"Damnit, Diana, listen to me. I like you, okay? I've liked you for a while now and you'd realize that if you weren't so hung up over Brewster." His voice was soft.

"I really think you should go."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I should have kept my mouth shut, but you're just so frustra-"

"Hey, guy," a familiar voice said from somewhere by Ben's car. Jerry stepped into the porch light. "I think she asked you to leave."

"Oh, yeah, and who are you?"

"Just a concerned neighbor."

Ben sized Jerry up and then sighed, giving up arguing with him as a lost cause. "I'll talk to you later, okay Diana?"

I nodded, not looking at him. I heard his car door slam and then the roar of the engine as he took off into the night.

"Thank you."

"No problem." There was a brief pause. "I'm going to go ahead and assume you don't want me to ask what that was about." His tone had a teasing edge I did not appreciate.

I shook my head. "Please don't." I leaned against the door, one hand on the doorknob. "What are you doing over here anyway?" I knew I was being rude and after our previous talk I probably should have been more worried, but I didn't care.

He seemed to find this amusing. "Actually, I was going to ask Doris over to my place for drinks."

"Oh." My heart seemed to sink in my chest in defeat. I gripped the doorknob tighter for support. "I didn't know you were acquainted." I could have smacked myself. That had sounded so stupid.

"I think I've met most of the neighborhood already."

It took everything in me not to say 'well good for you'. I gave him a tight smile. "Well, I hope you two have a good time." My voice couldn't have been icier if I'd tried.

He stared at me, studying my reactions. "I'm sure we will," he replied suggestively.

This sent me into a new, and unexpected, fury. "Goodnight, Jerry." I opened the door and slammed it behind me as hard as I could. From the other side, I could swear he was laughing.

**Author's Note/Disclaimer - I don't own Fright Night or any of the characters you recognize. Nor do I own Ellie Goulding's song "Lights", Telekinesis' song "Lightning" or Bram Stoker's Dracula (book or movie) which were used in previous chapters.**

** Wow, so I apologize for the amount of time you guys had to wait for this chapter. Seriously. That was not cool. I also apologize for this chapter, which took me forever to write and was kind of a pain in the butt. On a positive note, I DO have three other chapters pretty much written and those will go up ASAP. Thank you all for the reviews and favorites. You guys make me want to finish this for you and I love you all! XO**


	6. Chapter Five: Dead is Better

_"Diana," a voice whispered into the darkness.  
>I could feel my pulse pounding. I looked all around me, trying to find some sort of escape route from the room I was in. Sticking my hand out in front of me, I tried feeling my way around, squinting to no avail in the darkness for some sort of exit.<br>__"Diana," the voice whispered again. It felt like it was right in my ear. I closed my eyes tightly.  
><em>_"Diana." The hot breath on my neck made my stomach turn.  
><em>_"Please, don't." I begged the unseen voice. There was a low chuckle and then pain._

My eyes flew open. Slowly, I took in my surroundings.

I sighed and sat up, punching my pillow angrily in the dark. It had taken me forever to fall asleep. My mind had been bouncing back and forth between my kiss with Ben, his confession and what had happened with Jerry. Of course, I had been jealous. Yes, he terrified me and, yes, he was older than me but the strange attraction was there.

I briefly glanced over at my phone. So far I had ignored three calls and two text messages from Ben, a call and several texts from Cara and a call from Amy.

I flipped on my table lamp and pulled out the CD case that contained all of my DVD's hoping to find something I could concentrate on. I began to aimlessly flip through the alphabetically organized collection. After some debate, I selected Pet Sematary; something corny, not at all romantic and semi-scary that would at least keep me semi-occupied.

About an hour in I was clutching my pillow tightly and had lured Royal onto my bed. Feeling his weight on my feet was comforting and I was glad my Dad had felt guilty enough about being gone so often that he'd broke down and bought the dog.

"Sometimes, Lewis, dead is better." Jud Crandall intoned ominously.

I was so caught up in the movie that I didn't hear the window open.

"Di?" a male voice whispered from the corner.

I shrieked and Royal began his deep, booming bark.

"Ow! What the hell was that? A brick?" the voice exclaimed. In my panic, I had picked up the copy of Wuthering Heights I had been trying to read to put myself to sleep and thrown it toward the general direction of what I assumed was a robber.

Charley Brewster stepped into the lamp light, rubbing his forehead. I collapsed back onto the bed as the adrenaline rushed out of my body.

"Sorry," I apologized meekly. "You really should have given me more warning than that."

Royal bounded over and licked Charley's free hand, happy to see him.

"Jeez, I didn't know you'd flip out like that."

I gave a weak laugh and pointed at the TV screen. He rolled his eyes and sat down on the end of the bed, absentmindedly stroking Royal's head.

"Well, I usually don't get visitors at-" I peered over at my alarm clock. "One thirty. What are you doing here?"

His eyes lit up. "I need to talk to you about Jerry."

"Jerry? What about him?" I asked quickly. Too quickly and too defensively, it appeared, because Charley raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged. "Sorry, I guess the movie put me in a weird mood."

"Look," he said seriously. "If I tell you something you have to promise you won't think I'm crazy or- or whatever."

"Okay," I said, unsure where this was going.

"I think Jerry's a vampire."

I couldn't help it. I burst into giggles.

"Jerry? The guy who came over last week to borrow a cup of flour? You think he's a vampire? Come on, Charley, Jerry is a terrible vampire name." I caught of glimpse of his face and felt guilty immediately. "Look, Charley, I'm sorry," I apologized. "But do you know how hard this is to believe?"

"I didn't believe it at first either! But, I don't know- before Ed disappeared-"

"Disappeared?" I cut him off. "Come on, he was just out sick today. Lots of people have been out sick. Obviously there's something going around school."

"Then why wasn't he at home when I went over to his house after school?"

"I don't know! I don't keep a GPS on him!"

"His parents didn't even know where he was! They thought he'd been at school all day!"

I threw my hands up in frustration. Okay, so that was a little weird.

"Fine, let's say Ed did go missing. What the does this have to do with Jerry?"

"That's the thing – I went to his house to check on him after school but he wasn't home. So, I looked through all his stuff because last night he was going on about how he thought Jerry was a vampire and that's why all these kids have gone missing. I thought he was, you know, just being Ed. But all this research that he did with Adam just fits. And they have this footage from when they were running surveillance on him-"

"You've got to be kidding," I muttered under my breath. Well, that explained what they had doing in front of my house at an ungodly hour of the night. Filming a documentary my ass.

"Listen!" the stress in his voice made me refocus my attention. "They were running surveillance on him and he didn't show up in any of the footage! I didn't believe Ed last night, but then Jerry came over tonight to borrow some beer and, Diana, some of the stuff he said was so creepy. Like he'd been watching me and he knew that I knew and-"

"Charley, look, Jerry comes across kind of creepy, I'll give you that. But he totally didn't give off the 'I'm a creature of the night and I love to drink blood' vibe. He borrowed flour for Pete's sake. What kind of vampire," I made air quotes around vampire, "Eats human food and drinks beer?"

Charley's face darkened then he looked scared.

"You didn't let him into the house, did you?"

I looked at him uneasily.

"Well, yeah, but nothing weird happened, he just stood in the entry way."

"This is so _not_ good. This is so, so, so not good. Diana, you can't stay here, he could get in-"

This was the final straw. I was tired of people telling me what to do. "Did you completely flip your lid? Are you even listening to yourself? You sound like a crazy person. And I'm not not sleeping at my house!"

I could feel the tension in the room increasing and I was about to tell him to leave when a loud, high scream echoed in the night. I gripped Charley's arm. The hair on the back of my neck stood up and I could feel my own arms as well as Charley's break out in goose bumps.

"What… what was that?" I didn't recognize my own voice.

We locked eyes for a moment and then we both ran to the window.

"Jerry invited Doris over tonight. That's why he came over to get the beer."

"I know." Oops. "Okay," I said getting back on track. "Maybe we should call the cops. I mean, no one screams like that unless they're in pain, right?"

"Right," he agreed, giving me a meaningful look.

"I still don't think he's a vampire."

We made small talk and even managed to joke around about school, the party and other things while we waited for the police to show up. Even though we both laughed a little too hysterically, it wasn't awkward like it usually was.

"Oh! Look, there they are."

We watched in silence, both of us holding binoculars that hadn't seen the outside of my closet in years, as the car parked in front of Jerry's house.

"They're… laughing with him?" Charley asked incredulously. He put the binoculars down and looked at me seriously. "We have to go in there."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked. "No! That's breaking and entering. Look," I said pointing across the street where the cops were leaving. "If they didn't think anything was wrong-" I paused, unsure of how to phrase the next part of this. I didn't want him to blow up at me. "Do you think that maybe you're overreacting?"

"I'm not, I promise," he pleaded. "Look, we'll go in there and just take a look around. If we don't see anything we'll leave."

I looked across the street again where Jerry was now opening the door to his car. He glanced up toward my window and I swear he was looking right at me. I shivered instinctively then looked at Charley.

"Fine. Fifteen minutes and if we don't find anything in there, we're out."

"Deal."

**Disclaimer/Author's Note: I don't own Fright Night or Pet Sematary.  
>Uh-oh. What kind of trouble are Charley and Di getting themselves into? Thanks for the reviews, loves, and all the storyauthor follows and favorites. It's always nice to hear feedback. I know that a lot of you are clamoring for more Jerry and I know he's pretty non-existent in this chapter and the next, but after that be prepared for LOTS of Jerry!**


	7. Chapter Six: There's an App for That

Silently we snuck across the street and into Jerry's yard. Charley tried to pick the door lock open and when that failed went to pick up a rock. I felt an unintentional hiss of breath escape my throat. This was quickly turning into a bad idea.

Charley blushed when he cocked his arm back to throw the rock and it jingled. I took the rock out of his hand and opened it up to reveal a spare key. I sighed and shook my head, unlocking the door.

We did a quick survey of the downstairs to no avail. We wrapped back around to the stairs and made our way up. We split up; searching each room before meeting back in what I assumed was where Jerry slept. The whole search took less than twenty minutes. Other than the black masking tape over all the windows, there was really nothing out of the ordinary. Unless you also counted that he happened to be into collecting some really weird historic artwork.

"Charley," I half-whispered, half-whined. "It's getting late and this is really lame. We should-"

I froze at the sound of the garage door opening.

"SHIT." We whispered simultaneously. Charley looked through the window in a panic. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the closet, sliding the door shut behind us. I swallowed hard, scared of what might happen if Jerry found us lurking in his house. I couldn't get arrested- it would kill my Dad. Not to mention that any arrest would probably permanently remain on my record and no job would ever hire me. If Jerry even bothered calling the cops; something told me that he could easily take matters into his own hands.

I didn't realize I was pressed up against Charley until he slid away from me. Even though it was dark, I could tell he was blushing too. I heard things shuffling around downstairs and I closed my eyes so tightly that I wasn't paying attention when Charley triggered the wall that opened to reveal a whole new section of the house.

Charley pushed me into the well-lit hall. There were six doors, three on each side. I felt my mouth drop. Well, okay, this was pretty fucking weird. Charley was looking into each of the doors before we found the only one that was actually locked.

"Help me!" a desperate girl's voice called. My heart sank in my chest. Charley looked at me for help, but I had no idea what to do.

"Doris?" I asked weakly.

"Diana?" she called back, pounding on the door. I slid to the floor, sick to my stomach. Charley began fiercely working on picking the lock, whispering promises of help to her.

Then we heard footsteps in the room outside. Charley yanked me to my feet and I felt bad for being so useless. He pulled me into one of the rooms and closed the door most of the way so it didn't look conspicuous.

My heart was pounding in my chest as heavy sounding footsteps hammered on the pristine tile floor.

What happened next was a complete blur to me. I just remember covering my eyes, hearing Doris screaming and pleading and then sobbing. Then there was silence and the sound of two doors closing. It felt like hours before it was all over even though it must have been minutes. Charley gently pushed me away from him to make sure the hall was empty. I hadn't even been aware that I had hidden my face in his jacket.

When we were sure it was, we stepped out of our room. Immediately, I covered my mouth with my hand. I felt my stomach turn and it took everything in me not to puke at the sight of all the blood on the floor.

The lock-picking tools clicked together, but they sounded too loud. I kept turning around to make sure the secret door didn't open again. Finally the lock broke open and Doris tumbled out half-conscious.

I helped Charley lift her up and we quietly and quickly made our way out of the closet and down the stairs. The TV was going in the background and it suddenly seemed like every sound was magnified. I clapped a hand over Doris' mouth to steady her breathing.

The door was now in sight. All we had to do was get there. I didn't know how I was ever going to recover from this night. What kind of sick fucking weirdo bit girls' necks like that? I didn't need any more convincing that something was seriously wrong with Jerry.

We were about to make a break for it when the heavy footsteps started up again. They walked into the kitchen and paused there before walking around in our direction. The three of us scooted around the stairwell, trying to stay ahead of the sound. Finally, we were at the door. We made a break for it.

That was everything took a turn for the weird. Once we hit the backyard, the sun was coming up now, Doris exploded into a thousand ashes. I stood in the yard, unable to move. This was too much.

Fingers intertwined with mine, pulling me across the yard and into the house next door. The door slammed behind us.

My head was spinning and I wasn't surprised when I collapsed on the floor in Charley's room. The floor felt so sturdy and real under my body as I closed my eyes and tried to piece together everything that had happened in the last several hours.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked, still breathing heavily.

I nodded then leapt off the floor and planted myself in the bathroom. All the blood, Doris' screaming still ringing in my ears and the smell of ash- I could feel the contents of last night emptying themselves from my stomach.

"What are you doing?" I asked weakly as I walked back into his room.

"Gotta go to the school library." His voice and eyes were slightly manic as they scanned me. "You go home, take a shower and try to get some sleep, okay? But keep yourself protected. Do you have any crosses or anything?"

I nodded, thinking about the few crosses my Dad had stored in the closet to appease my Grandma every time she came over.

"I'll make a stake too."

He nodded. "Okay," he nodded again like I was going to be okay.

"Charley!" Mrs. Brewster called up the stairs. I followed him downstairs and somehow calmly charmed my way out of the house. By the time I got to my own safe bedroom I was ready to fall over with exhaustion. I took a long shower, making sure to scrub any ash off of me and by the time I got out my skin was an angry red.

The next thing to do was make a weapon. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and then ripped one of the legs off of my desk chair. I pulled my laptop on the floor and began reading whatever I could on vampire lore as I carved one end into a point.

_"The first vampires were thought to have been created in Europe, although the method and the exact location are unknown."_

_ "In accordance with vampire tradition, the only way to really ensure a vampire's death is to stake it directly through the heart. Although, some would argue that fire is another sure method. Garlic, holy water and crosses will keep the vampire at bay and may even physically harm the vamp in question, but they will not kill a vampire."_

_ "Never, under any circumstances, allow a vampire access into your house."_

I cringed as I read this, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

Then I read about different types of vampires, which included but were not only limited to bat vampires, Count Dracula-like vampires, deformed vampires. They also seemed to differ according to country and some of them liked to form colonies while others felt it better to remain solo.

_"There are two ways to be made into a vampyre. One is for the vampire to first consume your blood and then let you drink theirs. This way allows the turned to remain in full control of their physical and mental states. The second is for the vampyre to first share their blood, allowing the parent vampyre full control over their fledgling."_

My head was pounding as I tried to absorb all of this information and only then did I deem it acceptable to crawl into bed. Royal instinctively placed himself next to me, whining at me as though offering condolences. I gave him a quick pat and flung one arm around him, the other gripping the stake.

I thought it would be a long time before sleep came, but I was out before my head even hit the pillow.

**Disclaimer/Author's Note: I don't own Fright Night and the majority of the information on here is courtesy of pretty much every vampire book ever and the internet.  
>So, I didn't want this chapter to follow too closely to the movie, but it did and I do apologize for that. On a positive note, there is definitely plenty of Jerry in the next chapter to make up for it! Thank you reviewers and fellow writers who have added me to their favorite lists. You guys keep me wanting to update. <strong>


	8. Chapter Seven: Decisions, Decisions

I didn't wake up until Royal began barking. Someone was pounding on the door downstairs. Groggy and confused, I pulled back my comforter and slid out of bed. I nearly tripped as the dog sprinted past me with the stake in his mouth. He parked himself obediently in front of the door, dropping the wood on the floor. I made a disgusted face at him and kicked it aside before peeking through the peephole: police officers.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I opened the door. Then my breath caught in my throat. Across the street, I could see that where the Brewster house once stood was a burning mess. "What happened? Are Jane and Charley okay?"

"They're at the hospital now," the taller of the two officers said. "They're okay," he backtracked when he saw the look of horror on my face. His voice was reassuring. "We had some questions about the fire. Do you mind?"

I shook my head, still staring across the street. I could see Jerry on his porch where he had obviously been watching the firefighters work. I knew he'd had something to do with it. He turned his head in my direction, smirking. My stomach churned and a wave of nausea rolled over me. I did not like that look.

"Neighbors said they heard an explosion towards the beginning of the evening."

"I didn't hear anything," I said. "I was asleep. I've been pretty sick since last night."

"Is your mother or father home?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to lie to the police, but I didn't want them calling my Dad and freaking him out either.

"My dad's at work and my mom- she passed away a couple of years ago."

That seemed to startle them.

"Sorry for your loss," the shorter, gruffer of the two mumbled.

"So," the taller one recovered after an awkward pause, "You didn't hear anything?"

"No, I'm sorry. I must have been sleeping pretty hard. I'm just glad the Brewster's are okay. Can I ask what happened?"

"The fire guys are in there investigating now, but it looks like a gas line fire."

I hoped my face didn't match how weak my body suddenly felt.

"Well, if you remember anything, go ahead and give us a call," the short one handed me a card. I slipped it into the pocket of my jeans and waved to them as they turned their backs and walked away.

I bolted upstairs as soon as the door closed to see that I had several missed calls from both Charley and Amy on my cell phone. I didn't even bother listening to the voicemail. I called Amy knowing she would answer faster.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked.

"We're fine," she reassured me. Obviously Charley had filled her in on what had been going on. "Jane hit her head when she fainted. We got out of the house okay. It was…"

"Jerry, I know."

"He's a…" she clearly didn't even know how to begin.

"I know. What's the plan?"

"Can you meet us at the Hard Rock Casino in an hour?"

I was frantically searching my room for my car keys as I listened to her relay Charley's directions to a suite in the hotel. I picked up the elusive keys from under my bed and told them I'd meet them there. Hanging up, I pulled on my shoes and ran down the stairs at full speed.

"Well, you seem to be in a hurry," a cold, deep voice said from the shadows of the living room.

I skidded to a stop, slipping on the tile and falling to the floor. Jerry stepped out of the shadows, crossing his arms in front of his chest. I could hear Royal whining from the top of the stairs. I shot him a look and he took off to hide in my bedroom.

"I know what you are."

He laughed. It was a heartless sound.

"I know you do. I know you and Charley were snooping around my house last night too. Did you think I wouldn't?" he shook his head. "But you're a smart girl. I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured it out. So, tell me, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

I took a deep breath to steady myself. My heart was pounding in my chest.

"I was going to- t-to-" I stuttered.

"To meet up with your boyfriend?"

I saw the stake out of the corner of my eye. I scooted myself away from him as he stepped closer. I had to keep him talking, distracted.

"Charley's not my boyfriend."

"But you want him to be, don't you? I see the way you look at him. So does your friend Ben. But Charley doesn't seem to notice, does he?"

We both paused. My eyes widened.

"How did you know that?"

"I told you I was keeping an eye on you."

I started backing up again, keeping my face terrified and my eyes glued on his.

"Is that why you mope around him? Hoping he'll finally take interest in you and break up with her all on his own? Or maybe you just like looking pathetic," Jerry sneered.

I was passing the stairs and victory was within reach. I inched back further and my fingertips touched solid wood. I gripped the stake firmly. In that split second, I reared up and launched myself forward for the attack.

I cried out in pain as Jerry's hand gripped tightly around my wrist, pulling my body against his. The stake clattered to the floor.

"I'm tired of these games," he whispered in my ear. I closed my eyes, wondering if I was going to die. "I could help you, Diana."

"What?" I pulled my face away so I could see him. His grip on my wrist tightened.

"You're lonely. You practically radiate it, you know. I could smell it off you the moment we met." I winced and tried to focus my eyes on the floor, away from him. "You're mother's dead, your father buries himself in his work by traveling all the time and your friends… well, they'll push you to the side for their own gain." With his free hand, he gently grabbed my chin and swiveled my face to meet his. "But you're popular, pretty Diana so you don't let it bother you. You don't deal with it. I can give you what you want."

Tears stung my eyes as I stared into his. "How do you know what I want?"

"Because I was like you once and now," he whispered seductively. "You can be like me."

"I don't want to be like you."

"Don't you? You could have everything, Diana. You could be the one in charge." His voice was low and purring. "Do you want that, Diana?" he whispered in my ear. His lips skimmed my skin until they rested at the base of my neck. I moved my neck away from him. He lifted his head so that we were staring at each other again.

"Please, stop," I whispered.

But my words were weak and I knew it. Jerry leaned in and kissed me. I kissed him back with unexpected force. It was like being in a trance; I had never felt less in control of what my body was doing.

"You could get your revenge. I'm building a new army and I want you to help me."

"What-" I closed my eyes. "What would I have to do?"

"Just relax."

My body obeyed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. I was scared, but excited too.

Jerry's lips trailed down my neck, once more resting at the base.

"Have you decided?" he whispered, tickling me with his breath.

"Do it." My voice was low and unrecognizable in my own ears.

There was a sudden, sharp pain. I closed my eyes and cried out. It was the last thing I remembered before the world went black.

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: I do not own Fright Night or anything related to it. Thank you so much for the reviews and favorites! There was lots of Jerry and quite a bit of scandal in this chapter, so I hope you all enjoyed it! Keep those reviews coming!**


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